Davenport wants to rebuild resorts

Thursday

Sep 23, 2010 at 2:00 AMSep 23, 2010 at 10:57 AM

SOUTH YARMOUTH — The Davenport Companies is targeting four of its resort properties for redevelopment, aiming to transform the current collection of dated lodging establishments into two new, modern hotels, according to documents the company has filed with the Cape Cod Commission.

SARAH SHEMKUS

SOUTH YARMOUTH — The Davenport Companies is targeting four of its resort properties for redevelopment, aiming to transform the current collection of dated lodging establishments into two new, modern hotels, according to documents the company has filed with the Cape Cod Commission.

"In an effort to stay current with today's traveler expectations," the company "proposes to replace the current facilities with state-of-the-art resorts that will feature larger rooms, updated services and improved amenities," according to an application for a development agreement the company submitted to the commission.

Under the plan, the Red Jacket Beach, Blue Water, Riviera Beach and Edge of the Sea resorts — all located on Nantucket Sound along South Shore Drive — would be razed. One new resort would be built on the lot currently occupied by the Red Jacket; the second would occupy the three contiguous lots where the other resorts now operate.

The proposal would take advantage of zoning passed by the town in 2008 as part of an attempt to revitalize the tourism industry by making it easier for hotels and motels to renovate and redevelop.

"These potential projects are really a culmination of our many, many years of work by the town and the business community to stimulate some reinvestment in our tourism infrastructure," said Robert DuBois, executive director of the Yarmouth Area Chamber of Commerce. "It's very exciting to us that we have property owners who are willing to invest significantly in the pre-development stage for a project."

The plans were first introduced last year, when the Davenport Companies informed the commission of its intention to seek a development agreement for the proposed project, said Kristy Senatori, chief regulatory officer with the commission.

A development agreement is an option that would replace the review process required for projects designated as "developments of regional impact," or DRI, those whose size, density or other characteristics exceed set criteria.

The main difference between the two processes, Senatori said, is time.

"If it is approved, it will give the applicant a longer time period to develop," she said.

Generally, she said, the DRI process gives applicants seven years to develop a project; a development agreement could extend that timeline to 12 years.

The agency reviewed the initial plans and, finding that they qualified for the development agreement process, approved the Davenport Companies for the next step in the process: the application.

A hearing on the application will be held at 6 p.m. Oct. 5 at the Yarmouth Police Department.

The new Red Jacket Resort would include a main hotel building and two four-unit cottages; the second resort, which would be called the Blue Water Resort, would consist of three individual buildings connected by multistory, enclosed overhead walkways.

The new hotels would accommodate the same number of guests as the existing facilities, as required by town zoning regulations. The Red Jacket would have room for 162 visitors, the Blue Water for 240.

A timeline and start date for the proposed redevelopment is not set, said Yarmouth Town Planner Terry Sylvia. And the approval and permitting process is likely to be a long one, DuBois said.

If the redeveloped resorts do come to fruition, however, they will join several other hotels that have been spurred on in the past few years by zoning and regulatory changes, DuBois said.

In 2007, a group of developers tore down the Americana Holiday Motel and Suites on Route 28 and built a new Hampton Inn on the property.

The Travelodge on the same road recently completed a significant upgrade of its facade, and the All Seasons Motor Inn underwent significant renovations and became part of the Clarion Inn chain.